Walsh thankful for Richt's trust in rough game

OXFORD, Miss. -- Before Blair Walsh trotted on the field for his fifth field goal try of the day Saturday, Georgia coach Mark Richt told the senior on the sidelines that he was still "his guy."

Considering that Walsh had just missed his third straight field goal, those were reassuring words.

"I'm so grateful to coach Richt," Walsh said. "I really am. That means the world to me that he let me go out there and hit it and try to put the game away at that point."

Walsh's 43-yard field goal went through the uprights this time with 4:16 to go, making a bad day more bearable for the Boca Raton product in the Bulldogs' 27-13 win at Ole Miss.

"At the end of the day, I'm glad it didn't cost our team," Walsh said.

After converting from 36 yards in the first quarter to put Georgia up 3-0, Walsh struggled mightily.

He was wide right from 48 yards in the third quarter, then wide left from 48 early in the fourth quarter and then wide right from 35 again in the fourth quarter.

In one half, Walsh equaled the number of missed field goals he had all of last season when he made 20 of 23 field goals.

He had more misses Saturday than all of his sophomore season when he was 20 of 22 and was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award for nation's top kicker.

"To be honest with you, I was stroking it well," Walsh said. "Maybe I was picking my eyes up. I've got to go back and look at the film like I do on Sundays and see what happens. I'll fix whatever the problem is and get ready to beat Mississippi State this week."

Richt said he didn't think of turning to backup kicker Brandon Bogotay even when Walsh missed his third in a row.

"If he never had another attempt the rest of the game, it's not going to shake my confidence in him," Richt said. "He's a great player. He's one of the best in America. He went through a rough spell, but he doesn't have to worry about how I feel about him. He's a special player and he's our guy."

Walsh is just 5 of 10 this season on field goals.

He had another miss in the 59-0 win against Coastal Carolina that was washed out by a penalty.

"When you don't hit it clean and you know you didn't make it, that's a bad feeling," Walsh said. "When you hit it clean and you don't even make it, that's even worse."

Walsh said he hit some clean and others not Saturday.

After the game, he had some text messages of support from family members.

"He's an All-American kicker kind of guy," tight end Aron White said. "He's going to bounce back. He just had an off game and things like that happen."

Walsh was bothered before the Coastal Carolina game with a sore hamstring that kept him out of practice that week, but said that had "nothing to do with," Saturday's showing.

"I never quit mentally," Walsh said. "I never have. I never will on the sidelines. Each kick, I've got to go back out there and make it, to make the kicks that they need me to make."

At least Walsh heads into a new week coming off a made field goal.

"The last one helps for sure," Walsh said. "It was all the same damn distance and finally made one."